


Butterbeer

by Senkohime



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Hogwarts Seventh Year, Misunderstandings, Teenagers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-11
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:13:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26952691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Senkohime/pseuds/Senkohime
Summary: “Oh well, fret not, your boyfriend is here to save the day”, snickered Tonks while raising her eyes somewhere to the back of Jo’s head.“My what?!”“You two are so funny!” she managed to say between fits if giggles. “What do you mean what I’m talking about? You’ve been going on dates ever since the fourth year! What else are you if not a couple?”With seventh year beginning at Hogwarts, Ravenclaw Prefect Jo Emmett becomes the center of attention when she finds out that not only do Talbott's jealous fans spread rumors about her, but apparently everyone thinks they are a couple!
Relationships: Player Character/Talbott Winger, Talbott Winger/Original Character(s), Talbott Winger/Original Female Character(s), Talbott Winger/You
Comments: 9
Kudos: 95





	1. Rumors and misunderstandings

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there! This is the first fanfic I have written in years, but I got into the Hogwarts Mystery game again and I am obsessed with Talbott and my MC! Just showing them a bit of love, shouldn't be more than a few chapter before we wrap it all up. While I ask everyone to bear in mind that English is not my first language, I do look forward to constructive criticism and feedback!  
> Let's get on to it!

She woke up that morning with the taste of butterbeer on her lips and fresh tears in her eyes. The room was almost empty, but then again, it usually was on Sunday mornings. The Ravenclaw girls would wake up early to hurry out and go study in the library, shopping in Hogsmeade or even on dates. As usual, she was late to all of those activities.

She had dreamed about going to Three Broomsticks again, hanging out around the big table in the back with everyone and drinking Butterbeer until late, laughing, no worries in the world. Bill had already graduated and she missed him dearly, but he had promised they would meet and catch up sometimes during the holidays. The others had gotten a tad busier than in the previous years, with the N.E.W.T.s incoming and the stress piling up, but Jo was patient, they had been there for her and helped her out all throughout her adventure with the Cursed Vaults and now it was her turn to become their support. Still, that didn’t mean she wouldn’t get lonely from time to time, reminiscing about the good old days when they would all gather up for a drink and some fun, Jo and Rowan in the center of it all. They had indeed caused a lot of mischief in the past. 

A sad smile creeped on her lips. She missed Rowan more than she could put into words, but dwelling in the past would do no good to anybody, she had learnt it the hard way. After all, she had spent her first six years at Hogwarts living only to find Jacob and retracing her brother’s steps. 

“Just how many experiences had I missed in all that time?” she whispered to herself while looking in the mirror, brushing her long auburn locks and braiding them.

Her hair had gotten considerably longer and with all the Flying Lessons and Potion Brewing and Herbology, she had picked up the habit of braiding it, so it doesn’t get in the way. To the delight of the girls, being the seventh year and of legal age made the professors turn a blind eye to colorful nail polish, lipstick and mascara. 

“You want to look like your best self, trust me”, said Penny while handing her over some aqua nail polish. “It’s not only for boys, you know. Looking pretty will make you feel more confident and do better in school.” 

And so happened that Penny got her into makeup back when neither of them had boyfriends and they would spend countless hours together. Penny was the most popular witch in their year and she had lots of friends all around the school, but after losing Rowan, she dedicated a lot of time to remind Jo that, even though her best friend was dead, she was not alone. 

“Maybe I wouldn’t be mopping on my own if only I had the courage to be a little more selfish and act on my feelings earlier.” she sighed. She really needed to get rid of this habit of talking to herself out loud, some people already thought her to be strange, she shouldn’t add more fuel to the flame. 

“Were you talking to me, Jo?” 

Oh, Tulip was still in the room. That was unusual, she would be the first to wake up and run somewhere, most days not showing up until late at night, sneaking back into the room. Jo had always wondered how the girl managed to get past Filch so many times.

“Sorry Tulip, just mumbling to myself!” came a hurried reply. How deep in her thoughts was she if she didn’t even notice there were other people in the room? 

“Don’t worry, Jo Emmett, I often talk to myself while I’m studying” came a cheery Tulip from behind a poster bed. “It’s fine to do it here, but you should probably avoid doing it anywhere the Slytherin girls might hear you. You don’t need to give them other reasons to make up rumors about you.”

Tulip’s usual serene face and the casual way she was throwing out information had made Jo very confused in the beginning. She had a certain way with words, telling everything that went through her mind in blunt and, what some might consider, rude manners. It took some time for Jo to find out that the last thing Tulip wanted was to offend people and, apart from Penny, she was probably one of the nicest witches around. She even got to befriend Merula at some point, which surprised everyone, considering the Slytherin girl was Tulip’s boggart in the third year Defense against the Dark Arts class.

“Rumors? Why would they do that in the first place? Me and Merula have started to become more civil after finding my brother.” 

She had confusion written all over her face. Had she done something to offend someone? Ever since she became the Prefect, she strived to be as nice as possible with everyone. She was a representative of her House, she should act with dignity, kindness and intelligence. Yes, she might have caused a lot of trouble in the past, but that was only because she was trying to help Jacob, surely people understood that? But to have other girls dislike her? 

Tulip waved her hand in a dismissive matter, as though the information was old news. “It’s because of Talbott, of course.”

“T-t-albott?” 

Just hearing his name brought a blush to her cheeks. Why would they dislike her on this topic? Did they know she had a crush on him? Oh no, did the whole school know?!

Tulip just nodded gravely. “Talbott has quite a fan base in the fifth and sixth year girls. The others are more shy, but the Slytherin girls are, you know… Slytherins.” 

“But what’s that have to do with me?” Certainly there was no reason for anyone to be jealous of her and Talbott. They used to hang out a lot during years four and five, after their first date, after Valentine’s, when they would be in each other’s company at least once a week, but those times had somehow faded into memory. Now, she barely saw him when they had classes together or when she would gather courage to venture into the Owlery to seek him out. 

“Well,” started Tulip while sitting down on Jo’s messy blue covers, “he spends an unusual amount of time with Penny and you. And of course, everybody loves Penny, plus she has a boyfriend. So their anger is targeted towards you.” She stopped silent for a moment, analysing Jo’s facial expression. “I was sure you knew about this.” 

“No, I did not!” Her blush kept intensifying by the minute. “Plus, Talbott and I haven’t exactly spent much time together lately…” could Tulip detect the sadness in her voice? All of her friends obviously knew about her attraction to Talbott, they had all assisted her in asking him out for their first date. 

Tulip got up so fast it startled Jo a bit. Placing a firm hand on her shoulder, she started humming, probably in an attempt to soothe her friend. “I wouldn’t worry too much about them. There will be plenty of jealous people in your life, just ignore them. Plus, don’t you have like a gazzillion classes together?” 

“Not a _gazzillion_. Only four.” She shrugged.

“Four is still a lot. What’s that, twenty hours a week? You should give yourself more credit. He almost always sits next to you, no wonder his fans are jealous,” Tulip said, while winking. She wasn’t wrong though, they did sit together most of their classes. Was she overthinking things? 

Jo nodded. “I just wished they had an even better reason to be jealous…” But that was only wishful thinking. 

Even hours later, while sitting in the library and pondering over a History of Magic book, she couldn’t stop her thoughts from wandering about her conversation with Tulip in the morning. She was a bit in disbelief, finding out that Talbott had a whole fan base. Of course, she couldn’t fail to notice the way Talbott had grown up, turning slowly from that lanky awkward boy she met in her third year into a man. His shoulders had gotten broader, his profile sharper and he was one of the tallest in their year. Sure, he was still a bit awkward when interacting with people he did not know, but since being a part of the Circle of Khanna, his social skills had certainly improved. But to find out that so many girls had noticed it too? It was a bit disconcerting.

Talbott and her used to spend many days at the Three Broomsticks having a pint and discussing everything and nothing. For someone who claimed to be antisocial and happy alone, his eyes sparkled quite a lot when laughing and made her think that maybe, maybe, he did enjoy her company as much as she did his. 

Somehow, the blooming relationship between them had withered slowly and before she had time to notice, it was gone. Maybe it was around the time Rowan had gone, or maybe being part of the Circle of Khanna had made him see her in a new, unfavorable light. Or just maybe he had lost interest in time, or it was never that strong to begin with. 

She wished her interest had faded too. But even with seeing him less, with everything that had happened with her brother and her friends, her feelings had only gotten stronger. He was there for her when she needed help the most, when she needed a shoulder to cry on after Rowan, he listened gently and quietly and guided her with kindness. He understood loss maybe better than any of them and she would be forever grateful for his friendship and support. But she wanted more. She wanted to be the only girl to be reflected in those beautiful amber eyes. His Animagus form couldn’t have fit him any better, his agile glare, intriguing demeanor, the way he would sit silently in a corner and watch everything and everyone.

She wanted him to watch her. She wanted more, wanted his attention, his friendship, his free time. She wanted his kisses and goodnights, his hand in hers and all the smiles from then on until the end of time. 

“Ugh, I’m so pathetic and cheesy”, she sighed. Sometimes her thoughts would astound even herself with how ridiculous they were.

“Shhh!” she heard Madam Pince in the background. Jo sniffled a laugh. After all these years, the poor woman still hadn’t gotten used to the idea that no matter how many times she tried to shush the students, it would never work.

“Oh well, guess this is my que to leave,” she giggled, while picking out the brooks sprayed in front of her.

“Shhhh!”

***

Monday morning came around slow. Even though Jo spent all her Sunday afternoon studying, time seemed to go by at an excruciating rate. She couldn’t stop thinking about what Tulip had said that morning. Talbott and her took many classes together, that amounted to a total of 19 hours a week in close proximity. Sure, for some of them Penny was there and Talbott would spend Defense against the Dark Arts as her partner, but most of the time she was sitting next to Ben. Maybe she was overreacting, all this time she had been thinking the two of them stopped being so close, but didn’t they sit next to each other for three of their six classes?

A pair of hands grabbed her and started shaking her violently. Why was somebody interfering with her beautiful dream? It was rare for her to have such a blissful sleep, usually her dreams were either nightmares of the Cursed Vaults and the death of Rowan, or happy memories from a long time ago that would make her weep. 

“Jo Emmett! Jo! Wake up, we’re going to be late!” She heard vaguely the voice of Tulip in her dream, but it was muted, somewhere in the distance. This time, her dream included a sunny day and fields of poppy. She was in her eagle Animagus form, it was warm and sunny and she was flying. Her copper wings were taking her up to the sky and the warm breeze was ruffling her feathers. The smell of poppies was strong and she could even hear some crickets rumbling somewhere down below her. 

“JO!” The voice suddenly got stronger and she felt the sky tilt upside down and then she was free falling. Next thing she knew, she hit the floor with a loud thump and hit her elbow on something hard.

“Ouch! Did you just pull me out of bed?” She almost screeched, scared and confused by the sudden turn of events. 

“It’s 8 already, if you don’t hurry you won’t have time to eat and get to class!” 

“But I don’t have Charms until 10!” Her voice was whiny, having just woken up from sleep. Without her morning dose of caffeine, she was like a zombie - crawling around, unable to think, and her talking sounded more like meaningless mumbling. 

“Oh! I keep forgetting about that, sorry.” And with that, Tulip got her robe and left in a hurry.

It was such a typical Tulip thing to do, create a mess and then retreat. Jo couldn’t blame her though, she had been trying to help. Plus, she had more pressing matters in the form of a very painful elbow. 

“Damn Tulip, next time I will wake her up in the middle of the night with chocolate frogs,” she mumbled, but got up to get ready.

An hour and a half later, her elbow still hurt. She was walking towards the Charms class, rubbing insistently at her arm, wishing for it to go away. She was in a bad mood, if anybody would come across her now, they would probably get scared of her scowl. 

“Why the sour face, Jo?” came the cheery voice of Tonks from across the Charms classroom. “Got some earwax Flavour Beans in your breakfast?” she chuckled.

“What? No! Should I have?” 

Tonks pretended she couldn’t hear the question, which was only a sign that some naughty plot was cooking inside her head. Oh well, Jo has had her fair share of pranks played by the pink-haired girl on her, earwax beans was the least of her concerns. 

“What’s with the elbow?” asked Tonks after a couple of minutes, probably having finished cooking her evil masterplan in her mind. 

“Nothing, Tulip thought it would be a good idea to drag me out of bed this morning”, Jo scowled as she continued rubbing at her right elbow. This might become a problem since that was her wand-using hand. 

“Oh well, fret not, your boyfriend is here to kiss it to make it feel better”, snickered Tonks while raising her eyes somewhere to the back of Jo’s head. 

“My _what_?!”

“Her _what_?!” came a voice from behind her, which would explain where Tonks was looking earlier and why she was snickering.

Jo snapped her head around to see Talbott just pulling the chair next to her to try and sit down. Tonk’s _joke_ , if it could be called that, seemed to surprise him as much as it did her, because his eyes were wide and confused and _was he blushing_? He was fidgeting in his chair and looking at her like he had not expected her to be there. 

Suddenly remembering the conversation, she turned her look across the room and glared at Tonks. “What are you talking about?” Talbott was still in shock, his eyes not leaving her face and he apparently was lost in thoughts. “It’s not funny, Tonks! Look what you’ve done! You broke Talbott!” 

Jo turned towards him and placed her hands on his shoulders, shaking him slowly. Tonks, on the other hand, started laughing so loudly and violently, she almost fell off her chair. 

“You two are so funny!” she managed to say between fits if giggles. “What do you mean what I’m talking about?” 

It seemed as if that week was reserved especially for people who thought she knew things she should have known, but alas, she didn’t. First Tulip and the rumors, now Tonks and her joke that would normally make her turn as red as a tomato. But Talbott’s reaction stopped the heat from her cheeks and made her focus only on him. 

_Why is he reacting like this?_

She had been shaking him for the better part of a minute when Talbott suddenly decided to blink, straighten his back and scowl at Tonks, who was still laughing. 

“ _She means_ , what are you talking about?” 

Jo’s left hand was still on his shoulder and she could feel his heart beating faster than usual and heat radiating from the exposed skin of his neck. He had beautiful skin, smooth and warm, the color of caramel, and she would have loved nothing more than to press a kiss to his pulse point and…

She was knocked out of her day dreaming by Tonks, who almost announced loudly in the classroom “But you two are dating!”

“No we are not!” “We aren’t!” they said at the same time, turning their heads to one another and making eye contact. Well, now was the moment to turn into a tomato! She retreated her hand from his shoulder as if burnt and she could feel her cheeks warming up. Talbott wasn’t far behind, blushing furiously and watching her face intently, as if searching for something.

“Of course you are, dummies! You’ve been going on dates ever since the fourth year,” she started counting on her fingers, “you’ve never gone out with anybody else,” she raised another finger, “and you are always together! What else would you call it if not dating?” 

Jo heard Tonks’ voice somewhere in the background, her main focus at that moment was Talbott’s reaction and the pounding of her own heart which she was sure everybody in the room could hear. Fortunately for them, at that precise second, Professor Flitwick decided to make his entrance and start the lesson, saving them from further embarrassment.

“Good morning, everyone! Today we are going to study the Reductor Curse, _Reducto_. Please open your books to page 137”, he stated cheerily while climbing up on his stack of books. 

She turned quickly to open her book and tried to ignore the thousands of butterflies flying happily in her stomach, but with the corner of her eye she could still see Talbott glaring at her. 

_Oh dear, I want the ground to swallow me whole right NOW!_

She was hoping he would let go of the topic because her cheeks couldn’t put up with more blood flowing towards them. Damn Tonks and her jokes, she didn’t need to put her in such an embarrassing situation! How was she gonna face Talbott now? It was pretty difficult even before, with all the inappropriate thoughts swimming inside her mind, but now? Now it would be impossible. 

Ten minutes into the lecture, Talbott finally stopped staring at her, opened his book and took out his quill. She was about to do a dance of victory inside her mind when she noticed he picked a piece of parchment and started scribbling something aggressively on it. Then, he pushed it closer to her so she could read. 

Oh no, he had not let go of the conversation! What should she do? 

It wasn’t a lie, not really. While she did admit to herself that Tonks was right they spent a lot of time together, but she had no inkling of an idea that some people thought they were a couple! 

He seemed a bit put off by the idea, by the tone of the writing. She felt her heart constricting in her chest and a wave of disappointment wash over her. She had been so stupid, wishing for something he obviously did not want.

She felt the beginning of tears burning up in her eyes. It was so humiliating! He actually seemed very bothered by the notion that the two of them could be involved romantically. And here she was, the naive sixteen year old who woke up and went to sleep thinking about him. 

She hastily snatched the piece of paper and wrote the first thing that came to her mind, hoping that it would make him leave her alone. She didn’t want him to see how affected she was by the conversation, the last thing she needed was his pity.

She pushed the paper back to him and turned her back, trying to focus on Professor Flitwick and his _Reducto_ spell. Nevermind she actually knew how to perform it, maybe it was time she focused more on her studies. Caring had only brought her trouble in her years at Hogwarts, first with her brother, then losing Rowan, and now Talbott had just taken her frail heart and smashed it to pieces.

A tear fell from her eyes on the parchment sitting in front of her. And because that day could not get worse, that was the precise moment Professor Flitwick decided to look at her.

“Miss Emmett, will you be so kind as to demonstrate to us…” he slowed down and looked at her face properly, probably noticing how pale and teary-eyed she was. “Miss Emmett, are you feeling unwell?”

This was her way out! “Yes, Professor, I managed to injure my elbow this morning and it prevents me from writing and holding the wand!” She hurried to admit and blessedly, it was not a lie. She would have to thank Tulip later for providing such a good escape opportunity. 

“Oh, I am so sorry to hear that! You should go to Madam Pomfrey to have a look at it immediately!” For a second Jo felt bad for semi-lying to him, poor Professor Flitwick’s face was full of worry. She knew she was one of his favourite students. 

She nodded and hurriedly grabbed her books and her quill and got up to run out of the classroom. But just before she could pass by her classmates, she felt someone tug on the sleeve of her robe and Talbott’s concerned voice whispered next to her. “Jo..?” 

She ignored him completely and ran for the exit as if chased by a werewolf. As soon as she closed the door behind her, tears started falling down on her cheeks. She wrapped her blue and copper scarf around her mouth and started walking towards the Medical Wing, where the kind Madam Pomfrey would at least fix her elbow for her. 

If only her heart could be mended just as easily…


	2. Her secret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “We can…” he started speaking but could not form his words properly. She put her books down and watched him intently, waiting to see what he had to say. “We can rectify this, if it bothers you.”
> 
> _No, NO! What are you doing?_
> 
> “I mean, it’s a weird situation, but if we make it clear that we are not dating, then they must understand. I don’t want to stand in your way…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and thank you all who made time to read this tiny project of mine. Sorry for taking so long with the next chapter, I hope to do better with the next ones. The misunderstandings continue, this time from Talbott's perspective.
> 
> Enjoy!

He watched her get up and run out of the classroom and his hand moved on its own, grabbing her robes, trying to keep her there. He didn’t even realise it until she snatched her sleeve away and he was left stunned. _Were those tears in her eyes?_

She was hurt and Talbott didn’t even notice. He stood next to her, petrified by Tonks’ words, scared that she had been put off by the information and he kept questioning her, as if she was in the wrong. And all this time, she stood there, elbow hurting to the point of tears, and didn’t say anything. She really was extraordinary and he was… well, for better words, an asshole. 

The guilt settled in his body like a lead weight, pressing on his stomach, making him want to curl down and hide. What was wrong with him? Sure, he was not the most socially adapted person in their year and he had spent a good part of his life alone, but that wasn’t an excuse for not noticing one of his closest friends being in pain. She herself had taught him better. Jo was observant, kind and patient and surprised him all the time with little bits of information she had gathered about him along the years. 

She knew he hated apples in pies but loved forest fruits. 

She knew he was always alone but that also made him lonely. 

She knew about him being an Animagus and about his parents, about his aspirations to become an Auror so that he could prevent the same tragedy happening in other families. 

He didn’t even know what she wanted to do after graduating. He was such a bad friend and an even worse bo…. _No._ Setting aside what Tonks said earlier and what others alike might think, he and Jo were not a couple, not for lack of him wishing for it, though. 

“Now that Miss Emmett will get the help she needs, let’s go back to the present lesson,” Professor Flitwick’s voice interrupted him from his reverie. 

Oh, he was still in class. He had almost forgotten about that. He was supposed to be paying attention, especially now, with the N.E.W.T.s so close, it was his only chance to become an Auror. To be accepted in the Auror Academy, a wizard had to get Outstanding marks in five N.E.W.T. exams, and here he was, pondering in the middle of Charms class about the girl everyone apparently thought he was dating, but, unfortunately, he wasn’t actually. 

Not really. 

Sure, their relationship had started blooming in their fourth year, but things had started becoming complicated when Rowad died. She had been in pain and he had jumped to help her with solving the mystery of her brother’s disappearance, partially because of fear of something happening to her. At least if he was there to aid, he could protect her. 

“The _Reducto_ curse is a spell that can blast solid objects to pieces,” Professor Flitwick continued. “Now, watch me closely while I demonstrate the stand.”

He did try to pay attention, but his heavy guilt would not go away. While the tiny teacher’s body came to stand in the middle of the classroom and demonstrate the curse, Talbott’s eyes kept drifting to the piece of paper he and Jo had written on earlier. Was she bothered by it? The fact that people thought they were a couple? It did make sense in a weird way, they had started dating so many years ago, but with the loss of Rowan, he considered it best to give her time to mourn, adjust, learn how to deal with the pain. At first, he didn’t want to bother her with dates and relationships and everything that came along with it, and as time went by, he found himself unable to bring it up again. Did they miss their chance?

“I heard she got pregnant with Daniel from Hufflepuff,” he heard some giggles from somewhere behind him. Two Slytherin girls were, apparently, gossiping about somebody, which was not his cup of tea, so he tried to phase them out. 

“Well can you blame him? If a girl comes to you and asks for it, you can’t really say no!” More giggles. “Maybe that’s why she went to the infirmary room now, I bet it was not an elbow injury, but morning sickness.”

Infirmary? _Were they talking about Jo?!_

“Poor Talbott, look at him sitting there by himself. I bet he doesn’t even know!”

How could these people say something like that? Suddenly his guilt turned into violent anger, hearing those gossip mongers talk like that about his friend. What was wrong with these people, inventing lies about others, trying to ruin their lives?

He turned around and glared at them and they stopped giggling when they noticed. 

“Talbott, we’re sorry!” whispered the first one sheepishly. 

“Stop spouting such lies.” He clenched his teeth and fisted his fingers, the only outlet we would allow himself for such anger. 

It seemed to have an effect on them, though, because the girl on the right turned pale and the other one started stuttering. “It..it’s not.. not lies. We heard it from Jonathan, who is Daniel’s best friend. He swears he’s..”

“Stop!” he whispered, his voice a bit raised, but making sure Professor Flitwick could not hear him. “Just,” he exhaled, trying to calm himself down, “stop spreading such rumors.”

The two girls nodded slowly and he turned around to his notebook. What was going on? Firstly Tonks with their “relationship” rumor, now these girls with such nonsense. Of course Jo was not pregnant with that idiot’s child! She was his friend, he would have known if she was seeing someone. 

He felt suddenly as if his heart had stopped in his chest and all the blood had drained from his face. What if she was seeing someone, though? What if she never told him because she didn’t want to hurt his feelings? She had to have known how much he cared about her, he all but told her on their first date. 

He tried swallowing, but now his throat felt like heavy lead, too. Of course the whole pregnancy was ridiculous, probably some jealous girls making up stories because of boredom. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t actually _dating_ Daniel. Was she? 

“And with this, we conclude today’s lesson. Please don’t hesitate to rehearse the spell, but make sure you are in an open space and no other student is standing close to you! The best way to do this is outside, with some pile of rocks.” Professor Flitwick smiled enthusiastically. 

Talbott got up to leave and hurry for his next class, which was Potions. But try as he might, his feet were heavy and his heart even more so. He felt ridiculous. Did he actually distance himself from her to give her space, and ended up losing her in the process? That would explain why she reacted that way when he asked her about what Tonks said. She was bothered by it because she was already a couple with someone else. 

“Damn!” his angry voice gave Penny pause. She was just walking ahead of him and she stopped. 

“Everything ok, Talbott?” 

Penny was such a kind and calm individual, probably his first friend ever since he started attending Hogwarts. He appreciated her wit, her knowledge and secret keeping, but most of all, he appreciated how she was the reason he got to meet Jo. 

“It’s fine”. He was not a man of many words and Penny knew that. She nodded and started walking alongside him.

“I am going to the infirmary to check on Jo, do you want to join me?”

For a split second, part of his brain started yelling at him to go for it, go check on her, make sure she is fine and cared for and nothing hurts. Then hug her, hold her to his chest, tread his fingers through her beautiful red hair and kiss the top of her head. Keep her with him forever. 

The other part of his brain, however, was the logical one, the one in control of his actions, and that part was telling him that it would be a bad idea. Not to hold her and never let go, no, even that side of him was aware that happiness lied wherever Jo was, but to see her now would mean to overwhelm her with questions. He wouldn’t do that to her, especially not while she was in pain, they had enough time later to figure out this weird situation they had landed themselves in.

“No, I’m going to Potions. Please let me know if something is wrong, Penny.”

She smiled and nodded, then went on her way. Penny was his friend, but she was also one of Jo’s closest. He could not burden her with his internal struggle, could not place her in a difficult situation where she would have to keep his secret from Jo. It was better this way, he would go on with his day and eventually they would figure everything out. Together. 

***

That day, it felt like a dam had broken loose. He had never been one to look for gossip, but it seemed like gossip had found him because everywhere he went, he would hear another rumor about Jo, some even more crazy than the first one.

“I hear that she and Rowan were, you know… together.”

“Did you hear about Jo from Ravenclaw? Apparently the reason she was so keen on finding her brother was because they were in a relationship!”

“Poor Talbott, they’ve been dating for so long and he still doesn’t know her true colors…”

The gossip mongers were everywhere: in the dining hall, in the library, in the courtyard. Who was starting these rumors and why? 

Finally, tired of this nonsense, he decided to retire to the Owlery for the evening, at least he would have peace and quiet there to read something. It was early November and the days had already started to get shorter, the sun was setting earlier and he would have to hurry, unless he wanted to read by candlelight, or in this case, wand light.

Going up the stone stairs or the Owlery, he felt enveloped by a familiar and calm feeling. This was his place, where he felt the safest and happiest. As he went up the spiral steps, he noticed the tower was slightly lighted and he figured that somebody must be there already, probably to send some letters. 

“Damn,” he muttered under his breath, while picking up his pace. Maybe if the certain someone would see he was there to study, they would leave faster.

Entering the small hall of the Owlery, however, he noted with partial delight, partial dread, that it was not just any student up there to send letters, it was Jo. She turned around at him and smiled softly, with rosy cheeks. 

“I thought I heard someone walking up,” she almost whispered, her voice sweet and soothing in the quiet of the tower. 

“Hi, Jo! How’s your elbow?” he cleared his voice, hoping she would not notice he was flustered. But then again, he was always flustered around her, so she might just interpret it as his natural state. 

She raised her arm slightly to show it to him. “Madam Pomfrey fixed it in no time! It was so silly of me not to go to her in the first place.” 

He went to the windowsill where she was sitting and placed his books next to hers, then he went to the corner where he kept his secret stash and pulled out a blanket. He would be in the Owlery very often, so at some point he started hiding useful items in a corner. It was nothing new, her sitting on the windowsill reading, him on the blanket on the ground, but close to her, almost able to feel her rich flowery perfume. They would often sit in silence and study for exams and he was more than happy to share this space with her. 

“I’m sorry about today.” He sat down on the blanket and tried to reach for his books from the windowsill, but instead felt a warm hand placed on top of his.

“What for?” 

It was as if his throat had tied itself in a knot and his heart was pounding so loudly, it was a wonder she did not hear it. She looked at him with such soft eyes and they were glinting in the wand light. For a minute, he did not remember how to speak or breathe. 

“For…” he tried, but the words did not come out. Her smile broadened and she took her hand away to place it next to her face and hide her giggle. He felt the loss of her warmth acutely. “For not noticing you were hurt.” 

“Ah!” she exhaled and her expression became thoughtful. She switched her position on the stony ledge so her feet were dangling off the edge and he could see the colorful bronze and blue high socks she was wearing from up close. “Don’t worry, it was not that bad. I just didn’t realise how much it hurt until I started writing with it.” 

She winked at him, leaving him speechless, then picked up her book again and started reading. So, this was the end of that conversation. Fine by him, as long as she was not put off with his attitude, all was right in the world. 

Unfortunately for him, the position he was put in did not allow him to focus very much in his books. Everytime he would turn around, he would be faced with her colorful socks, but above those socks, at the juncture of their edge and the skirt, he could see a small patch of creamy skin, usually hidden by the skirt, now revealing itself thanks to her sitting down. His heart was still beating like crazy and he couldn’t take his eyes away from her thigh, his cheeks blushing, but too mesmerized to turn away. How would it feel to touch her skin there? 

_You are an awful pervert._

His brain was not wrong, but how could he look away when the object of his affections was sitting so close to him, smelling like a garden and looking like the most beautiful candy in the world? The girl he had met four years ago had transformed into a woman, with soft curves and long legs. He was a gentleman, he should not look at her in such a way, but deep down, in parts of his soul he had tried to bury, his animal instincts still roamed. In the end, the eagle was a more integral component of himself than he wished to admit, and right now, those instincts told him to hold her, protect her, keep her only for himself. 

“I talked to Penny today.” she broke the silence, but her voice held a hint of sadness. “She said the whole school thinks we are dating because of the exact reasons Tonks presented.” 

He turned around to look at her, but her eyes were still scanning the pages of the Ancient Runes book, as if she had never opened her mouth to speak at all. 

“Oh.” 

_Oh? What kind of reaction is that?_ His brain supplied, but his voice was stuck in his throat and could not utter one more syllable. 

They went back to trying to read and for the next few minutes, he started panicking. She seemed upset, did this situation make her upset? He wanted to fix things but did not know how. 

“We can…” he started speaking but could not form his words properly. She put her books down and watched him intently, waiting to see what he had to say. “We can rectify this, if it bothers you.”

_No, NO! What are you doing?_

“I mean, it’s a weird situation, but if we make it clear that we are not dating, then they must understand. I don’t want to stand in your way…” his hurried speech ended on a sad note, thinking how she might be free to go date Daniel publicly now.

She was silent for a few seconds and stared at him, eyes so large he could see his whole soul reflected in them. And what he saw there was a coward, a bad friend and a jealous fake boyfriend. How did they end up there? 

She cleared her throat and her voice was shaky. “Are you talking about the rumors?” 

He watched her and suddenly felt extremely guilty that he had heard those gossips. “You know about them?” 

She snorted and waved her hand dismissively. “Of course, Tulip put me up to speed. It doesn’t bother me that much that your fans are jealous, people have been saying nasty things ever since I came to Hogwarts.”

Something clicked inside his head, like a lamp being lit up. “My what?” 

“Your fans! Tulip said they are jealous of me and they are making up rumors because of that. Now that I know all of Hogwarts thinks we are a couple, it makes even more sense.” 

He was stunned, even more so that when finding out what Tonks had to say about them. 

“I take it from your face you were not aware of their existence either?” She giggled and the sound of it made him snap out of his reverie. 

“I most certainly was not aware!” What he was aware of, though, was the fact that he almost yelled. “Sorry, did not mean to sound so harsh.”

She smiled at him, her large, signature smile, and all his irritation went away in less than a second. “Don’t worry, it’s not everyday you find out you have a fan club. I understand the shock.” 

“And they are taking their anger on you?”

She nodded, but that brilliant smile didn’t falter. “It’s fine, it’s somewhat funny. I was not aware I was pregnant with my brother’s child. Or was it Rowan’s?”

He could not help himself, he started laughing. “I think it was Daniel’s actually.”

But this made her stop and turn around, watching him in horror. “People think I’m cheating on you with _Daniel_?!” He could not stop laughing at this, really listening to the information and processing how absurd the whole situation was. Her reaction was like a balm to his wounded heart, she most definitely wouldn’t have reacted that way if she had been dating the idiot.

“Stop laughing!” she tried, but ended up bursting into laughter alongside him. “Oh dear, I’m such a bad girlfriend, having a secret child.”

“Don’t worry, I wouldn’t dream of shunning you!” She smiled at this, watching him with a strange look in her eyes and maybe it was wishful thinking, but he wanted to identify it as affection. “I would never abandon you, Jo.” His voice was suddenly grave and filled with longing, as they both stopped laughing and stared at each other. 

“Thank you.” It was something so simple, yet it filled his heart with joy. He nodded, and his lip curved into a subtle smile, but one she would no doubt notice. They held eye contact for a few moments and when the atmosphere changed and they started blushing, she hurried to change the subject back to the joke they seemed to share now as their own. “It’s going to be difficult, you know, giving birth while trying to get a job at the Ministry. You don’t know what you are getting yourself into!”

He chuckled, then processing the information, looked at her in wonder. “You decided what you want to do after school!” She nodded enthusiastically. 

“I’m thinking of applying for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, more accurately, the Improper Use of Magic Office.” She smiled knowingly and it only took him a few seconds to make the connection in his head.

“You want to work for the Animagus Registry?” His heart, which until a few seconds ago had calmed a bit, started thumping furiously against his rib cage. 

“I’m thinking about it, but yes, somewhere along those lines. Maybe it’s childish, but the Ministry needs to provide a safe environment for all wizards and I will do whatever I can to make sure that happens. You are others like you shouldn’t be afraid because they don’t know how to deal with Animagi properly.” This time, he was sure the unknown emotion in her eyes was affection and could only hope she could tell he was feeling it too. “Plus, it’s the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, it must mean some cool field work to catch those nasty children who turn their enemies into frogs! 

“But that was you!” 

“Exactly!”

He appreciated the change of subject this time because he knew, if she said anything more, he would get up and kiss her and would probably only scare her away with his enthusiasm. She wanted to help him, she was willing to commit to a maybe boring job in the Ministry for the sole purpose of making sure scared children as he once was would not have to be afraid anymore. He did not think his affection for her could ever grow more than it already was, and then she said something like that and his heart became even more filled with her.

The possibility of them working in the same department, maybe meeting daily, was well beyond his dreams and even if nothing romantic came to fruition between them, at least he could make sure he didn’t lose her friendship. 

His smile was bittersweet this time. “Then we need to study more to make sure that scenario happens.”

“Aye, captain!” she saluted him, which only made him chuckle. She had a way with words, always knowing what to say to put him in a good mood. They turned their eyes back into their books and stood in comfortable silence for the next few hours, until it was time to retreat each to their own quarters. 

He would realise only later that night, while sitting on the windowsill of his room, that she never did specify what she wanted to do about everyone thinking they were a couple. But more important than that, he had missed the perfect opportunity to tell her how he felt and make sure the misunderstanding would become reality.


	3. The gift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He frowned, looking down at himself. “Matilda from year five made a bet with two others that she could steal my tie. And then the others decided it would be a good idea to pull me into a corner and steal my jumper too.” his cheeks were furiously red and Jo could tell he was very embarrassed by this situation. She, on the other hand, couldn’t help herself but start laughing. “It is not funny!”
> 
> He seemed genuinely upset by the situation and she felt quite bad, but for some reason couldn’t stop laughing. She was shaking so much the glass almost slipped from her hands, so she bent over to place it on the floor. 
> 
> “Normally I wouldn’t laugh and I would feel outraged, too. But this is spiked.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all, thank you to everyone who is reading this, I just love this couple so much (well Talbott mostly, but my char too :P) and I'm happy to see that there are a few of you out there who share my passion <3  
> The tenssion intensifies :D

When Jo was a child, she used to live with her parents and her brother in a small Muggle village, somewhere on the west coast. She remembers them moving to London after grandma had died, which led to the obvious conclusion that they had lived there to be closer to family. While there, she had some neighbours her parents seemed to like spending time with and those neighbours also had a young daughter, almost the same age as her, named Felicia.

It was in one of Felicia’s books that she had read about Cupid for the first time, the fair-haired boy with a bow and arrow that used to shoot people and make them fall in love. For some reason, she remembered about this legendary entity while sitting in her room in the dark, a couple of weeks after the incident with her injured elbow. 

_“I would never abandon you, Jo.”_

His words had made her feel as if Cupid himself had shot an arrow straight through her heart, and she kept playing that moment again and again in her mind, every night before falling to sleep. 

His face had been so earnest, so sincere, it almost brought tears to her eyes. Her brother had abandoned them so many years before, and her parents had decided to relocate themselves to the United States to help Jacob finish school there. She would be lying if she said she didn’t feel forgotten sometimes. So his, to some, insignificant words had brought immense joy in her heart and sparked something she hadn’t felt in a long time - hope.

“What do you think about this, Jo?” she vaguely heard Charlie’s voice, but she was too caught up in her own musings to pay attention. “Jo!”

“What? You startled me!”

“Well you were not paying attention!” Charlie pouted and she blushed, realising she had been spacing out during their weekly Prefect meeting. Another ten pairs of eyes were staring at her. 

“Sorry. Yes, I completely agree with you.” The others simply nodded. “I’m a bit distracted today, I apologize.”

“Well, it _is_ your birthday, so we forgive you. But only for today,” Charlie presented her with his most charming smile.

The meeting adjourned quickly afterwards and she was free to attend to her own Prefect duties. Usually she would pay more attention to the meetings and be more diligent with responsibilities, but her mind had been all over the place lately. The rumors kept going, but as she had previously told Talbott, she was determined to ignore every idiotic thing she heard about herself. At least one good thing had come out of it all, she had gotten a lot closer to the object of her affections ever since that night in the Owlery and they would spend most of the days in the Library studying together, albeit in silence. 

She was supposed to go to Hogsmeade with him today, actually. She had been surprised when he asked her, but delighted at the prospect of spending more time together, although it seemed to her like he was acting a bit strange. He was blushing indeed when he asked, which was not something out of the ordinary since he was rather shy, but he kept fidgeting and muttering something about “focus Talbott, they rely on you”. 

So that’s how she found herself in the Three Broomsticks on a Friday evening, drinking butterbeer with Talbott and laughing about another crazy rumor he had heard about her. She assumed they were supposed to be celebrating her birthday, but he still hadn’t said anything about that. Sure, he greeted her in the morning with the usual “happy birthday”, as have all the others in the school. But the selfish part of her, the one more than content to hoard him only for herself that night, had hoped he would present her with a token of his affections. Wasn’t that customary on one’s birthday?

“I can’t believe the stuff they make up!” he snickered, taking another gulp of butterbeer to hide his reddened cheeks. 

Something was definitely up, she could tell Talbott was hiding something, but she did not want to scare him and make him hide in his shell, so she just went along with it. Maybe his gift was supposed to be a surprise for later?

“Should we go back to the castle?” he asked, while fidgeting with the handle of the giant mug he had been drinking from. She simply nodded. 

November nights were getting colder and colder and while walking back to the castle, she started regretting not bringing more warm clothes. She was dressed in her blue jumper and a purple coat on top, a beanie on top of her head to set in place the two buns she sported on the sides. Her neck was uncovered, though, and she could feel the chill sneaking in under her clothes. 

“Are you cold?” Talbott asked, probably noticing the shiver that ran through her body. 

He looked so handsome tonight. He always was, but now his cheeks were reddened by the cold and she couldn’t help but notice how good he looked in his long dark grey jacket. Was that new? She hadn’t seen it before.

He was still staring at her questioningly and she realised she had yet to answer him. “A bit, but we’re getting close.” She smiled shyly, while rubbing her hands together through the wooly gloves she was wearing. 

They were walking next to each other slowly and it was very quiet outside, but not awkward at all. She enjoyed his presence and hoped he did hers too, and sometimes words weren’t needed for them to be comfortable. 

“Here,” he whispered and she felt something warm over her shoulders. “Don’t want you to catch a cold.” His cheeks were even redder than before while he gently placed his own Ravenclaw scarf around her neck. 

Her heart was beating like a drum as she felt herself enveloped by his scent, which was all over the scarf. Oh, how she would have liked to jump into his arms and thank him for his thoughtfulness, but she was afraid she might scare him, so she stood still and presented him with what she considered to be her best smile. Was it only in her mind, or did his hands linger for a bit after he finished wrapping it around her?

They continued to walk in silence towards the Ravenclaw Common Room and Talbott started fidgeting even more than before. As they reached the entrance to the high tower, the Eagle presented them with the new riddle. 

“ _What can you hold in your right hand but never in your left hand?_ ”

“Hmm my first instinct would be to say a wand, because we always hold it in our right hand,” Jo started.

“But there are some left-handers, few, but they exist.” 

“So there is supposed to be something you cannot grab with your left hand?”

“Oh, I know!” Talbott exclaimed, enthusiastically. “Your left hand!”

The Eagle nodded and the door slowly started to open. 

“Ooh that’s a good one!” Jo snickered, turning her back on the tower and beaming at Talbott. His expression suddenly changed, as if all the fidgeting and the stress piled from earlier on had drained from his face and he sighed contentedly. 

“SURPRISE!” She heard a choir of voices from behind her and turned around, startled. All the Ravenclaws were gathered in the Common Room, with Tulip in their center and it looked like a party was going on. “Happy Birthday, Jo!”

Oh. _Oooh!_ She turned to watch Talbott and he nodded shyly. “That’s why you were so weird tonight! You were distracting me so they could organise this!” A large smile took over her features and she ran inside to hug everyone and thank them for their thoughtfulness.

There was some food in one of the corners that the others had carefully enchanted so it wouldn’t spill on the tables, the carpet or - worse - the books. The “gramophone”, as they called it, started playing music and in no less than 5 minutes everyone was socialising and dancing. The First Years seemed a bit confused and some of them started questioning if they were allowed to have a party, but soon enough Professor Flitwick made an appearance and joined them for an hour or so. 

The other students weren’t supposed to know this, but the Ravenclaw House really was the best around. Professor Flitwick was an absolute darling and he would let them decorate their rooms as they pleased, listen to music and even throw parties. Of course, as long as nothing broke the official Hogwarts rules. Still, the Ravenclaws had lots of liberties to express themselves and follow their passions and Flitwick encouraged them to create long lasting friendships and rely on one another. 

He wasn’t even bothered that much when he discovered that the boys and the girls had broken the charms that forbid them from entering the rooms of the opposite gender, fully trusting everyone that nothing nefarious would happen in the dorms. Which is how Jo and Tulip often ended up in the boys’ room with Andre and others (sometimes Talbott, if they could convince him) playing Secret Hitler, an imposter card game that Peter had learned from his Muggle sister-in-law. 

They were not supposed to let the other Houses know of their shenanigans, of course, since it would probably get Professor Flitwick into trouble with the Headmaster. But they were witty and discreet and most of the time their heads were in other places, so it had never been a problem. 

A few hours later, the party was still going. The young ones had gone to bed earlier, as per instruction of the Prefects, and at the moment a very energetic song from the Weird Sisters was playing and everyone was dancing. Well, _almost_ everyone. Jo was sitting in a corner on one of the sofas sipping from her pumpkin cider and watching everyone. The atmosphere was very jolly and she was so happy they had organised all of this for her, but she needed a break from all the dancing otherwise she was close to tripping and breaking a few legs. 

Legs? She meant toes. Was there alcohol in the drinks?

“Hey, Jo! Having fun?” yelled Tulip while throwing herself on the other side of the sofa, making Jo bounce on it in the process.

“I am! Thank you for organising this!”

The music was so loud that at this point, any conversation one tried to have would have to happen while shouting. Which is why in every corner of the room there were people gathered yelling at each other and supposedly having a conversation, although from what Jo noticed, it was more in the lines of everyone understanding something different.

“You’re welcome! I wish we could have had the others here too, but we asked Professor Flitwick and he said we can’t bring those from other houses here!” Tulip’s voice started to crack a bit, probably from all the yelling during the songs. The Weird Sisters were well loved among the teenage witches and warlocks. 

“Hey, are there drinks spiked?” 

Tulip grinned mischievously and hurried to get up and run back into the crowd. Oh, that wasn’t very good, she might embarrass herself if she kept drinking, but the pumpkin cider was so delicious she simply couldn’t stop until she emptied the glass. Was it also enchanted?

Her reverie was broken by Talbott, who sat in the place Tulip had just vacated. His face was flushed and he seemed to have discarded most of his overclothes, remaining only in his white shirt and dark grey trousers. Even his tie was nowhere to be found.

“What happened to you? You look like you had been running from a train!” Jo giggled. Oh, the drinks were definitely spiked.

He frowned, looking down at himself. “Matilda from year five made a bet with two others that she could steal my tie. And then the others decided it would be a good idea to pull me into a corner and steal my jumper too.” his cheeks were furiously red and Jo could tell he was very embarrassed by this situation. She, on the other hand, couldn’t help herself but start laughing. “It is not funny!”

He seemed genuinely upset by the situation and she felt quite bad, but for some reason couldn’t stop laughing. She was shaking so much the glass almost slipped from her hands, so she bent over to place it on the floor. 

“Normally I wouldn’t laugh and I would feel outraged, too. But this is spiked.” She started laughing again uncontrollably and Talbott simply watched her curiously. 

“The drinks?” She nodded, biting her lower lip in an effort to stop herself from giggling even more. She felt a bit buzzed and maybe the whole thing was in her head, but she could swear his eyes fixated on her mouth and darkened a bit. He cleared his throat, paused for a bit, then continued explaining the situation. “This is very embarrassing, you know. I understand that you might not be in your right mind now, but I’ve literally been undressed by some fifth years.”

She nodded and giggled some more. The next day, she would apologise to him and would listen to him properly, would try to make amends by her scandalous behaviour, but in that moment, she was unable to do anything else but stare at him and enjoy this side of him. He was so adorable when he was outraged!

“Hereee, they m...might leave you a’one like this,” she managed to produce and _oh, was her speech failing her?_

Next thing he knew, she got closer to him and placed her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes. 

“What.. what are you _doing_?” His voice seemed to fail him as well, for he squeaked a little bit and she could swear it was the cutest thing in the world. 

“Hmm.. they will leave you alone if they see you like this,” she mumbled, snuggling closer to him. His shirt had its top button undone and she brought her face next to his neck, inhaling his scent and making a pleased sound. She loved the way he smelled, like cinnamon and apple pie, and tomorrow she would probably feel very embarrassed for sniffing him while buzzed, but the Jo from tonight had no inhibitions left. 

For the first few minutes, he tensed up and she could swear he was thinking about getting up and running away, but after some time, his shoulders slumped and he seemed to relax. He placed his cheek on top of her head and rested there and she could feel his breath tickling the hairs from her forehead. He had been drinking the pumpkin cider, too, but probably not as much as she had. 

“Thank you,” he whispered and she briefly wondered if he could hear the force of her heartbeat. 

“No, thank you. This was the best night ever.” She felt him smile. 

The world around her started to become blurry, the music fading somewhere in the background, and all she could focus on was the sounds of his breathing and the warmth of having Talbott so close to her. 

Next thing she knew, she woke up by herself in her own bed, still dressed as the previous evening, clutching to his scarf like it was a lifeline. 

***

She had a headache - that much she could tell for sure. Now that she was of age, she supposed she did need to get used to the trials of drinking alcohol and eventually figure out the right amount that will keep her head straight and will not cause a horrible hangover. The sun was hurting her eyes, usually it was a perk of each student having a window next to their bed. Today, however, she cursed the sunny weather and tried to cover her face with the sheet. 

_How did I get here?_

Last thing she remembered was - _oh dear_ \- her head placed conveniently on Talbott’s shoulder in her attempt to let him escape his overly enthusiastic fan girls. The alcohol lowered her inhibitions so much, she didn’t realise that she might as well have been doing the same as those fifth years, getting in his personal space. She needed to apologise to him!

Not now, though. Now, she would sit in bed and enjoy the scent of him on the scarf she forgot to give back. She clutched it harder in her arms and almost instantly, felt better. They did say that endorphins helped with pain and for sure she was secreting lots of those while being in such an intimate position with his smell. 

Her hair was a mess, her two buns from last night untangling from the hairbands, the beanie on the floor, long forgotten. She tried to smooth it over, but her wrist got caught in it. That was weird. She carefully untangled the whole mess and looked at her hand, only now noticing the silver bracelet encircling her wrist. 

“Oh!”

It was beautiful! The chain was silvery and thin, not flashy at all, and in the center it had a bird, its wings holding the chain together on each side. _Was that an eagle? Oooh!_ In the middle it had a discreet blue stone, pale, and if she was not wrong, it resembled the color of her eyes. 

Speaking of eyes, hers suddenly turned watery, admiring the beautiful piece of jewellery that seemed almost crafted specifically for her. That was impossible, clearly, but it made her feel treasured. 

“Oh hello there! Good morning, sunshine!” Tulip’s voice was more cheery than usual, but then again, she did organise a very successful party last night and she had all the reasons to feel proud. 

“Morning, Tulip! How did I get here?” her voice was a bit hoarse, probably from the chilly cider.

“Well, you fell asleep cuddling with Talbott, and then he, like a perfect gentleman, took you to your room and laid you to rest.”

She suddenly got up, panicked, and only after the headache came back violently, she remembered why that was such a bad idea. He brought her to bed? Did he see her start clutching on his scarf? 

“You two were so adorable, like a couple of lovebirds…” Tulip kept saying. 

“But we are not a couple!”

Tulip just laughed a bit, obviously not believing her. Why was it so hard to convince them? Why was she trying so much? 

She spent almost all her day in bed, trying to fix her headache with some borrowed potions from Penny, but she was a seventh year and she was supposed to study, so by the late afternoon, she made her way towards the library to spend some time on the Ancient Runes she despised so much. 

Not surprisingly, she found Talbott already there, at the corner table, where they usually sat. He looked up from the books and briefly avoided eye contact. Oh. Oh no. 

“Morning, Talbott! I am soooo sorry about last night!” she started, hoping if she made a good enough case, he would forgive her.

“What about?” What about? Oh he was too polite!

“I got into your personal space and then fell asleep on you! I did nothing better than those airheads who stole your clothes!” Her hands were up in the air and her voice was raised, which obviously triggered Madam Pince to try to shut her up. 

The corner of his mouth turned up slightly and he went back to reading from the book in front of him. She sat down and took the robe off from her shoulders, since it was very warm in the library. She thought for a second that the conversation was over, but a few minutes later, after a long, exhausting, break, he whispered only to her ears.

“I mind it when they do it. You, I don’t mind.”

She didn’t bring her eyes up from the book, but smiled. “Well I started already, I have your scarf still.” 

His voice was even quieter this time and it somehow made all the other background sounds mute down. “I noticed.” His words were weaved with heavy meaning, which she recognized immediately and blushed. He saw her grasp for his scarf in her sleep. 

As for the bracelet she had around her wrist, hidden under the long-sleeved jumper, he did not mention it and she decided to thank him later, in private, where tens of eyes were not watching them constantly and curiously. 

It was interesting how for six years she faced the terrors of the Cursed Vaults, fought monsters and humans alike, braved threats more powerful than anyone she knew had ever seen. But the prospect of hugging or giving a chaste, cheek kiss to the boy she almost certainly loved was the most frightening thing she could ever conjure in her mind. 

Then again, that was a problem for “tonight’s Jo”. And if she played her cards right, she might finally find out if he felt the same way about her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Regarding this chapter, I read this [very cute](https://pin.it/2xX6JUB) post on pinterest that I will leave down below about how people picture the Ravenclaw dorms to be and I couldn't stop myself from including it <3  
> 


	4. The kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Her laugh was loud this time and it reached her eyes, which seemed to sparkle in the darkness of the tower. 
> 
> “But seriously, thank you. For everything.” 
> 
> “Anything for you.” His words came out as merely a whisper and faster than he could have even processed them, but it took no longer than a few moments to realise that he meant them. His heart and his brain were in agreement, there would be nothing in the world he would not do if it meant seeing her happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was excited and couldn't wait to post the last chapter. I'm a sucker for cheesy romance so I made it as cheesy as possible :D  
> Thank you everyone who has read this all throught my journey writing it, I haven't started a story in years and this had been very exciting <3

It didn’t take long for him to figure out that she had fallen asleep. As sudden as it had been, her cuddling with him in order to escape him from the other girls’ advances, it was definitely not unwelcome. Her breathing was soft and deep and he took advantage of this opportunity to stare more closely at her face without being too inconspicuous. His gaze was often placed onto her, even before he even realised he was developing feelings, but her auburn hair would shine like a beacon in the middle of so many black robes, that he found his attention drawn to her. 

Here, close to her as he was, he could notice the things he had never been able to before, such as the subtle dusting of freckles on her nose, not easy to spot from a conversational distance. Her lashes were darker than her hair, almost brown, but long, resting on her snowy cheeks. 

He would take her to the room to let her sleep, he decided, but not right now, he would like to enjoy her presence a bit more. Hiding the secret party from her was emotionally draining, it took everything he had not to spill the beans the moment he saw her earlier tonight. She had looked so excited to visit Hogsmeade and he wanted nothing more than to make her birthday pleasant, but he probably hadn’t been a good conversation partner - not that he usually was - and fiddled with the damn mug all night. She didn’t seem to mind, to his relief, and gifted him some of her smiles.

He was also planning to give her the gift he had bought some months ago, but his nervousness got the better of him. He palmed his pocket to check that the box was still there, then carefully got his arms around her shoulders and knees so he could carry her towards the dormitories. She was a bit lighter than he expected and soft, her deep breaths tickling his collarbone as her head rested on his chest. He heard a few gasps from behind him while heading towards the rounded staircase and smirked, convinced her plan had worked and his “fans” were now more reluctant to approach him. 

He had only visited her dorm room once, despite the fact that she was in his most nights of the week - not to see him, obviously, but to play that ridiculous card game with Andre. It was not very difficult to remember which bed was hers, as he noticed her purple coat and his scarf lying around on one of them. Smart of her, to dispose of the warm clothes before heading up to the party. He laid her gently on the bed and as soon as she felt the sheets under her and the clothes, she started sniffing around. He chuckled. She was interesting even while asleep.

“Cinnamon...pie,” she managed to mumble, just before her hand reached out to search for something around her. For a second, he thought she wanted the pillow, so he grabbed it and was about to hand it to her, but what she did instead gave him pause.

“Oh.” escaped a whisper from his lips. She grabbed the scarf from the pile of clothes, _his_ scarf, and wrapped her hands around it, bringing it closer to her chest and her face, a content smile on her face. 

It was a mesmerizing sight, how eager she had been to wrap herself around that insignificant piece of clothing as if it had been a treasure. She sniffed again and this time he realized she could probably smell him on the scarf, which made a torrent of emotions whirl around inside his chest - first embarrassment, followed closely by realisation, then a sense of pride and smugness. She had been _searching_ for his scent in her sleep. 

He just stood there for a few minutes watching her, not wanting to part with the sight so soon, but the cider was getting to him and he was feeling more and more sleepy. He should go, but right before stepping out of the room, he remembered - the gift. He got the box out of his pocket and opened it, the bracelet familiar as he had been watching it countless times over the past few months, since he had bought it. Would she like it? He sure hoped so. 

He got it out and gently grabbed her wrist to clasp it and she showed no resistance to his actions, which only made hope bloom again in his chest, happy that his presence seemed to be so soothing. 

He had found the bracelet in the summer, while walking the streets of the Diagon Alley and shopping for school supplies for the new year. It was in the window of a shop and it had instantly drawn his attention, with the silvery eagle in the center, making him think of her beautiful Animagus form. The fact that it had a blue stone that resembled her eyes had only been an added bonus. It didn’t take more than a couple of minutes for him to decide to purchase it as a gift - it made perfect sense, it was entirely her. He hoped that she would see the resemblance and wear it, a symbol of her duality as both human and animal.

But there was also a small part of him, to which he refused to give voice, that hoped she would be reminded of him every time she looked at it.

***

Seeing Jo in the library the following day had been a source of joy, her shy apology and the blush dusting her face only making him feel more confident. Yes, he had been aware three years ago that she had a crush on him, even to the point of asking him out, but doubt had made space inside his chest and he had retreated, fearing rejection. After the events of the previous night, however, for the first time in many many months, he felt like there might be a chance she felt the same way.

Well, his confidence _had_ gotten the better of him because who even was this person who flirted with her casually from behind the books? And in the library! Her reactions, however, made everything worth it, for she honored him with a secret smile and another pinky blush and he might just never get tired of seeing those on her face. 

Still, in those moments, he had acted smug and dare he say mature. Now, however, sitting in his own bed at night time, pondering over the events of the past couple of days, he couldn’t help but panic at his attitude, so uncharacteristically for him. He was a shy loner who didn’t enjoy company and did not know how to make conversation, not a flirty airhead whose heart raced everytime he made a pretty girl smile. But then again, Jo was not _any_ pretty girl, and he would never admit it out loud, but he also thought “pretty” was not a good enough word to describe her. 

Maybe he had changed more than he thought he did in all those years spent in her company and, if he was being honest, it didn’t bother him very much. It didn’t bother him at all. 

“This is not working,” he whispered to himself, while throwing the covers to the side and putting shoes on. Normally he would not need them, since he was planning to go as a bird, but the last few times he decided to turn into his human form after a long flight, he found himself barefoot on the floor of the Owlery. Where birds lived. That was not an experience he ever wanted to repeat. 

One of the many advantages of being a Ravenclaw was that each bed had its own window, so he could easily open only his own, without bothering the others, and be on his way. His initial intention had been to fly around for an hour or so, hoping it would exhaust him enough to be able to go to sleep, but after mere minutes he found his gaze being drawn towards the Owlery, where a glimmer of light appeared from one of the windows. Was someone there at this late hour?

His thought immediately went back to Jo, who was really the only person besides him to spend much time up there. Flying towards the source of the light, he discovered happily that he had indeed been right, because there she was, on the blanket, with a book in one hand and her wand producing light in the other. She did not seem to notice him landing towards the entrance, probably too captivated by the book, so he took advantage of this opportunity to observe her more. 

She was dressed in her usual bed clothes, a medium-sleeved peach night robe that reached over her knees and a pair of slippers - did he hear the girls call them _ballet flats_? - and she was wearing a peaceful smile on her lips, probably because of something interesting she was reading. Well, that definitely indicated it was a leisure book, and not a school one. Then, something caught his eye in the light. On her right wrist, the one supporting her wand, sat the bracelet he had placed there a night ago, and that would have made him blush, if only birds could do that. 

He must have made some noise with his wings, because she raised her gaze from the book and landed on him, her smile spreading even more. “Talbott! How long have you been lurking there in the dark?”

He proceeded to change forms and step closer to her, unconsciously rubbing at the back of his neck, a habit of his when he was embarrassed. “I couldn’t sleep so I went for a fly, but noticed the light.”

She closed the book and set it on the blanket alongside her wand, then got up and walked towards him. “I couldn’t sleep, either. Thought it would be better to read here than bother my roommates.” He only nodded, but for some reason, couldn’t look her in the eyes. She must have noticed him staring at her wrist because she raised her hand slightly.

“You’re still wearing it,” he managed to exhale, more a whisper than actual speech, and finally turned his eyes towards her face. Her smile had broadened and he realised with pride that it was a sight more and more frequent lately. 

“Of course, it’s lovely! Thank you very much, Talbott!” 

His heart started beating faster and faster and there was an unusual feeling in his stomach, as if hundreds of tiny birds were flapping their wings around. She made one step closer and from this distance, if he would stretch his arm forward, he would be able to touch her. 

“I seem to be saying that a lot recently,” she chuckled.

“Say what?” His confusion was probably written all over his face, because she proceeded to explain herself fast.

“Thank you. You’ve helped me a lot these past few weeks, lending me your scarf, helping me study, carrying me to bed after I so gracefully attacked you last night.” The last statement was followed by a snicker from her and a curl of a lip from him. 

“It wasn’t _that_ bad! At least you didn’t trip and fall asleep in the process.”

Her laugh was loud this time and it reached her eyes, which seemed to sparkle in the darkness of the tower. 

“But seriously, thank you. For everything.” 

“Anything for you.” His words came out as merely a whisper and faster than he could have even processed them, but it took no longer than a few moments to realise that he meant them. His heart and his brain were in agreement, there would be nothing in the world he would not do if it meant seeing her happy. 

Her expression changed then to something he was not able to identify and for a moment he was afraid he had said the wrong thing. Her gaze moved down, towards the floor, and she bit her lower lip, something she did from time to time when she was pondering something, but she seemed almost fidgety, unsure. Maybe he had been wrong, maybe she only saw him as a friend and his declaration embarrassed her. 

_Bloody idiot!_ his brain supplied. He felt himself starting to panic, his fists clenching in an effort to stop himself from running away. He meant it, he would do anything for her and the last thing he wanted was to cause her discomfort. Oh, he hoped this would not ruin their friendship! He would take anything she was willing to give, even if that meant some stolen hours in the library in silence or that stupid card game that Andre always insisted he play. He should tell her to forget he ever said something, they could go to sleep and the next morning go back to being distant friends that sometimes sat together in class and shared opinions on random inconsequential things. 

“Then…” she whispered, managing to distract him from his erratic thoughts and his plan to jump off the window and fly somewhere far away. “There would be one thing I would like, if it’s not much to ask.”

Her voice was trembling a bit and she exhaled strongly, the look in her eyes determined. This time, she did not avert her eyes, but stared straight at him while waiting for his answer, her lips parted and breathing shallow and she seemed… scared? Anxious? Unsure?

He nodded, focusing only on her expression and forgetting all about the panic from earlier. His heart was still beating fast and his fingers trembled a bit, but she was more important than any of his instincts to run - or, more accurately, _fly_. She seemed like she was fighting herself about something and calming her down, making her feel secure was of the utmost priority. 

“Would you…” her voice was shaky and her lips had probably dried in the cool air, because he noticed her trying to wet them with her tongue and instantly his brain became fuzzy and all sane and _proper_ thoughts left him.

Wait, she did not finish her sentence. _Pay attention, dammit!_ He forced himself to focus and nodded again, encouraging her to continue her request, and it was probably all the nudge she needed, because she swallowed again and her next words came out in one breath. It was almost a whisper and he would have probably missed it if his eyes hadn’t been so focused on her lips. 

“...kiss me then?”

There was a buzzing in his ears that covered all the noises in the background, the owls sleeping, the crickets outside, the sound of his own breathing. He couldn’t have heard her right, he must be imagining things. But the longing in her eyes, the shallow puffs escaping her lips, her nervousness - he couldn’t be making those up. She averted her eyes, which made him realise he probably took too much time to answer, and nodded fast. But oh, his brain must have stopped working because he was looking at her and he knew she could not see his face anymore. 

He released a breath he did not even know he was holding back, and a whispered “Yes” was all he managed to say. The buzzing in his ears did not stop and it was dark, so he couldn’t see it, but he was sure both their faces were red at this point. The corner of his lips curled in a shy smile as he stepped closer and his heart was probably running marathons in his chest. He couldn’t believe this was actually happening - he would finally get to kiss Jo Emmett. 

His nervousness wasn’t related to him not knowing what to do. As Ravenclaws, they were very curious creatures that liked to break rules and experiment as much as possible, so none of them found it odd that the older students would offer to teach the younger ones basic things such as kissing. His first had happen around two years ago with a girl that had been Seventh Year at that time, but she had been very nice and explained the whole process to him in detail, gave him pointers and when they actually got to the kiss itself, they had practiced a few times until she had decided he had learnt. 

He knew from Jo herself that she had experience too, with none other than Tulip, who had graciously offered herself as a guinea pig so her friend would be more knowledgeable. All in all, neither of them was clueless, but then again, the past experiences with neutral people could not even begin to compare to this charged moment they were sharing now. 

Her lips were soft and sweet, probably because of all those ridiculous things girls used - balms? - and her breath smelled like lemons. He was dreaming, there was no other possible explanation to this, but her hands at the back of his neck, her body pressing closer to his, the nip of her teeth at his lower lip - those were so perfect, not even his own imagination could conjure them. He deepened the kiss and could not suppress the groan that escaped between their lips, she tasted like lemon tea and sugar and she was so warm, it sent shivers down his spine. 

She pressed herself even closer to him, if that was even possible, and he found his hands had a mind of their own, because one tangled in her hair and the other settled on her lower back. He had dreamed of kissing her many times before, but the reality of it surpassed anything, how soft her body felt, the tiny gasps that escaped her lips and he tried to capture them with his, her nails scratching lightly at the back of his neck, making him lightheaded. 

When they finally parted for air, he did not move his hands from around her, instead lightly pressing his forehead to hers. Her fingers were rubbing tiny circles around his shoulder blades, probably unconsciously. 

She was the first one to break the silence, her words whispered against his lips. “I’ve thought about your offer to make it clear to the others about not dating, and I’ve decided to refuse.” 

A relieved laugh escaped his lips and she kissed him again, swallowing the sound completely. This was becoming addicting very fast and he knew he should have said something in return, but his thoughts were muddled and he felt like he was drowning in her sounds, her touch, her taste. She was probably curious about his answer, because she pecked his lips and pulled back just enough so she could look him in the eyes.

“Then…” he started, but his breathing had yet to return to normal. Jo must have noticed because she smiled coyly and trailed her fingers up and down alongside his neck. She was making it very difficult to focus and say something coherent. “...the only alternative I see here…” he stopped abruptly when her fingers reached the collar of his shirt and sneaker under. _That minx!_

She giggled knowingly, the sparkle in her eyes revealing she was completely aware of the effect she had on him. 

“...is to date.” The words escaped him in a tortured breath, before rubbing his fingers harder in the small of her back, making her gasp. Well, two could play at this game. 

The smile she presented him with was out of this world, it lit up her face and made his heart almost stop. She brought her lips closer to his again, then proceeded to whisper something to him before kissing him. It took his brain a few seconds to process, but when he did, a sense of relief and happiness washed over him, as if the storm that had been roaming inside him for who knows how long had finally stopped. 

“That is an offer I can accept.”

***

Very few people were surprised the next day when he sat next to her in the Great Hall for lunch - they had missed breakfast and both slept till noon, having gone to bed so late in the night. Penny had watched them curiously before presenting them with a nod and a wink, before running into Ben’s arms and yelling “Finally!”. Talbott and Jo laughed, their hands twinned together under the table.

Tulip and Tonks had watched them curiously, then whispered something to one another, which only made Jo sigh. “They will play a prank on us.”

“What? Why?”

“They see us happy and it’s the perfect opportunity, they think it will be easier to get over it.” She explained but, seeing as Talbott was still confused, explained furthermore. “They did the same thing to Penny when she announced she was dating Ben. 

He frowned, but decided not to say anything because the whole idea was simply ridiculous. Besides, he had better things to focus on now, he was not planning to let the fear of a prank get in the way of making this the best year of their Hogwarts lives. 

“By the way,” Tonks started, “Bill said he would drop by the Three Broomsticks today. He regrets missing your birthday, but wants to make it up to you by paying for all of our drinks.”

Jo raised her eyebrow questioningly. “ _All_ of us?” Tonks simply shrugged, but they all knew that was probably not what Bill had said from the beginning. “You’re coming with us, right?” she turned to him and asked. Even though his usual first instinct was to say no, he did realise dating her also meant probably spending some time with her friends - some of them _his_ friends too, even though he would never admit it out loud.

“Sure.” she clapped her hands together excitedly and proceeded to eat her food as fast as possible. 

“Hurry then, still have some studying to do beforehand.” Well, that would explain why she was trying to eat that chicken breast without cutting it into pieces first. It didn’t stop him from smiling, however. Lately he found himself doing that more and more and it was all thanks to Jo, if she hadn’t insisted they become friends on that fateful day three years ago, he would probably still eat alone, talk to nobody and leave this school with no good memories behind. 

The Three Broomsticks was pretty crowded that night and it didn’t help much that there were a lot of them in the group, gathered around a small table. Bill seemed happy to see everyone, and even though Talbott knew not to be jealous of him, he couldn’t not notice the pang in his chest when Jo received her mandatory birthday hug. Well, not even a full day together and he was already becoming that attached boyfriend.

Looking around the table, everybody was happily drinking. Bill, Tonks, Tulip, Andre and Barnaby were having alcohol, as a reminder that they were of age, whereas poor - at least by Tulip’s mind - Penny and Ben could not. As for Jo and him, they decided that her party had been enough for them for the next few weeks, at least until Christmas, and went for the usual Butterbeer. 

“A toast, for our favorite redhead!” Bill cheered and everybody snickered around him. 

“I thought this was supposed to be about Jo!” Tonks giggled and Bill’s smile expanded.

“Oh right! And cheers to Jo!”

They didn’t stay up very late because Bill had go to back home and the others had classes early in the morning, so they gathered as a group in front of the pub and started walking together down the dark road towards the castle. It reminded him a little of two nights ago, when Jo and him left the Three Broomsticks heading for her surprise party and made him realise how different everything had been then, how many things he had been missing because of his nervousness.

The two of them walked behind everyone, holding hands and from time to time Jo would shout a reply to Tonks, who was leading the group and making jokes. When they got to the courtyard, they split up, each heading towards their own House Dorms, Tulip and Andre besides them. 

“Think we should give the lovebirds some space,” Tulip said with a straight face, which only made Jo roll her eyes. 

“One day you will stop calling us that!”

“Highly unlikely, Emmett.”

When the sounds of their steps faded, Jo pulled on his arm and dragged him behind a pillar, then started kissing him. 

“Thought they would never leave.”

He was in complete agreement, but his mouth could not give voice to his thoughts since it was too busy showing her how much he had missed her embrace. _One day, Winger. You couldn’t resist one day, you pervert._

She let go of him abruptly, but grabbed his hand with hers, entwining their fingers. 

“What do you say about going for a fly?” 

Hours later, as he was sitting in his bed exhausted from the hours of flying around the Hogwarts grounds with her, he couldn’t help but laugh at the fact that this whole situation had started with a few vicious rumors and a jest made by Tonks during class. He wasn’t one to complain, though, since it did help him “get the girl”, as he had heard some of his classmates say a few times. It sounded a bit wrong to him, but then again, he wasn’t really an expert of teenage interaction. 

This time, it had been her turn to lend him her scarf, followed by a wink and instructions to keep it close. It smelled like her, all flowery and sweet, and now he understood why she had grabbed it in her sleep to keep her comfort. They would have to do this more often, exchange scarves so they would be able to enjoy each other’s scent when they weren’t together. 

That night, he went to sleep with the taste of Butterbeer on his lips and his mind full of hopes for the future. It had been a long journey for them to get there, but now that they had, he would do everything in his power to make sure that neither of them would have to fly solo ever again.


End file.
